Former Davidson Wildcat great Mike Maloy has passed away

Have been receiving news at the site about the death of former Davidson Wildcat basketball great Mike Maloy and his passing this week. We have written several articles about Mike and he was one of our favorites from the 70’s along with Doug Cook, Jerry Kroll and company at Davidson.

Big Jim Modlin played along side of Mike Maloy when they both were with the ABA’s Pittsburgh Pipers/Condors.

You may ask, why so much about Mike Maloy? Well Mike is part of my basketball/sports history, just like World B. Free, M.L. Carr, Bob Kauffman, Henry Logan, Gene Littles, and others and you can’t change history and these guys in my opinion, created history with basketball.

Davidson will be coming to town to take on UNCG tonight and we welcome Stephen Curry and the ‘Cats and we feel like a small piece of Mike Maloy history will be traveling in here this evening with the Davidson basketball team.

Mike will be missed in big way, he already is, and our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and everyone associated with the history of Davidson Basketball.

Here’s what we have been receiving and we will include a copy of the Charlotte Observer article:

This is just to let you know that Mike Maloy passed away on Feb. 3rd 2009 in Vienna, Austria. I had the pleasure to know him for 25 years and to have been coached on and off the floor by him. I do not know if Mike kept in touch with his family in the States. So please if you have the change inform his son/family about his death.

To Everyone who knew Mike Alvin Maloy. Mike Maloy (or coach Maloy as I came to call him) died on February 3rd 2009 in his home in Vienna, Austria.

Rest in Peace, Mike. (1949-2009). Sad news for the Davidson community. All our condolences to the Maloy family. Mike was one of the best.

4 thoughts on “Former Davidson Wildcat great Mike Maloy has passed away

  1. Hello, and thank you. Mike Maloy was my father. My older brother (Mike) and I, as well as our mother, to whom Mike Maloy was married in the early 70s, and his sister, have all heard the news. The internet is an amazing thing.

    We have all been very moved by the stories that have been popping up over the last 24 hours. It is a comfort to know that so many people – from coaches and teammates to students and bandmates – have such fond memories of him. Thank you for sharing them.

  2. The passing of Mike Maloy comes as a shock to his fellow Bryant H.S alumni,
    Mike was a great presence in highschool. He will be missed.

  3. > Celebrating Mike and his Legacy,
    >
    >
    > One of the few people who have “touched” so many
    > hearts,so many minds and made so many smile and laugh with
    > his infectuos humor and cackling loud laugh! One that I
    > became to know as a brother and regard as family. I, like
    > most people were smitten with his genuine (one of a kind
    > Mike Maloy) smile and laughter. At the beginning people on
    > the street would sometimes mistake me for him. I would just
    > nod my head and say: No, I’m not Mike! I tried not to
    > let it annoy me as I soon came to realize how well-liked and
    > beloved this man was to almost everyone he came into contact
    > with…
    >
    > I find myself very fortunate to have had the honor to have
    > at first gotten to know Mike as a friend, play b-ball
    > against him as a player, and then later play on the same
    > team together with him (at the same time with him mentoring
    > me as a coach). When I later got into coaching myself, he
    > would just laugh at me and say: Now you know how it is!!!!
    > Mike in his short professional career in the states had the
    > oppourtunity to play and befriend such hall of fame players
    > such as Julius (Dr. J.) Erving, Kareem Abdul Jabbar (who he
    > jokingly at the time called the “Muslim”) and Bill
    > Russel (to name a few).
    >
    > Mike you leave us with a legacy that is difficult for most
    > people to live up to and sustain as you did. Never has one
    > graced so many with his humiliy, thirst for knowlege and
    > bravado to live each day as there was (or will be) no
    > tommorrow.
    >
    > A man who had a nickname (from old friends) called
    > “Buckles” that he shared with only a few of us. I
    > have either forgotten why it came to be or even why he
    > adopted it??
    >
    > There are a few “Mike Maloy” slogans (or sayings)
    > that will forever be sketched in my memory that brought
    > laughter and smiles to many a face. One was being a
    > “Legend in his own mind”! If anything, he turned
    > out to be a legend in “our time” and certainly a
    > legend that will last forever in many people’s memory.
    >
    > Mike was a child of the 50’s, became man of the
    > 60’s (from New York Boys high to Davidson College),a
    > connosieur of the 70’s and a gentleman for all time! He
    > graced us with his picture on the cover of Sports
    > Illustrated as a potential “All American”
    > basketball player while at Davidson college. He first
    > swooned us with his singing debut in the Joe & Elie
    > Wright revue at the Opus 1 back in the early-mid-80’s
    > and he later became a staple as part of the “Boring
    > Blues Band”.
    >
    > Mikes love of bier (there wasn’t a cafe or bar that he
    > didn’t like),love of people, love of baketball, love of
    > laughter and great sense of humor surrounded his love of
    > music from all eras. His fluency in Deutsch allowed him also
    > exibit his talents to teach English or German to the young
    > as well as the old. He also was adapt at conversing in
    > French if necessary (or just simply for fun)! He had a
    > doctorat’s degree of life!
    >
    >
    > Mike leaves us all with immpecable impressions that he
    > managed to share with each and every one of us individually.
    > He made almost everyone feel that they were pround to know
    > him. I know I was and I’m happy he has left us a
    > son(Ryan) that mirrors him with that same unmistakable
    > smile, great sense of humor and penchant for laughter!
    >
    > Mike I never did get that chance to drink that Cola with
    > you, but your Blues will never be Boring!!!
    >
    > Forever in our hearts and forever in our minds!
    > In the here now and in the here-after…..
    >
    > We Love you
    > (Thanks for allowing me to share some of these moments and
    > memories with you about Mike)
    >
    > To finally close this out…Mike loved this song and knew
    > all the lyrics by heart. It actually spoke a lot about him
    > “the person” as he was truly the “American
    > Pie” that we will all miss: (a few lyrics)
    >
    > A long, long time ago…
    > I can still remember
    > How that music used to make me smile.
    > And I knew if I had my chance
    > That I could make those people dance
    > And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
    >
    > But february made me shiver
    > With every paper I’d deliver.
    > Bad news on the doorstep;
    > I couldn’t take one more step.
    >
    > I can’t remember if I cried
    > When I read about his widowed bride,
    > But something touched me deep inside
    > The day the music died.
    >
    > So bye-bye, miss american pie.
    > Drove my chevy to the levee,
    > But the levee was dry.
    > And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
    > Singin�, “this wil be the day that I die.
    > “this will be day that I die.”

  4. I met Mike through the Amer.BB players (Craig, Charles, Lothar alias Lou) here in Vienna, Austria. I am quite sure that I and like so many who met him will say that his sense of humor & that deep laugh coupled with a imposing presence will always be remebered. There was never a dull moment when you were around Mike. Rest in Peace my Brother. PT

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